Forges Foundation 1860 (≈ 1860)
Created by the Trottier family, specialized in steel.
1882
Integration with the Société Générale des Cirages
Integration with the Société Générale des Cirages 1882 (≈ 1882)
Site development and diversification.
1936
Forges peak
Forges peak 1936 (≈ 1936)
3,000 workers employed on the site.
mai 1966
Final closure
Final closure mai 1966 (≈ 1966)
End of local steel industry.
1978
Creation of the Ecomuseum
Creation of the Ecomuseum 1978 (≈ 1978)
Project led by Gisèle Le Rouzic.
2005
Municipalization of the museum
Municipalization of the museum 2005 (≈ 2005)
Management transferred to the municipality.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Gisèle Le Rouzic - Founder of the Ecomusée
Daughter of worker, initiator of memory preservation.
Famille Trottier - Founders of the Forges
Engineers trained at Angers, creators in 1860.
Origin and history
The Inzinzac-Lochrist Forges Industrial Review is based on the initiative of Gisèle Le Rouzic, daughter of a Forges worker from Hennebont and professor of letters. In 1978, twelve years after the permanent closure of the forges in 1966, she and her team founded the Association of Friends of the Ecomusée to preserve local working memory. The project is based on the collection of testimonies, tools and objects related to the steel industry, which marked the lives of thousands of families between 1860 and 1966. The old laboratory of physical and chemical tests of the forges, left vacant, is restored by the municipality to accommodate the collections.
The Forges d'Hennebont, created in 1860 by the Trottier family (engineers trained at the École des arts et métiers d'Angers), specializes in steel production for Breton canneries. In 1882 their integration into the Société Générale des Cirages Français allowed a major expansion: in 1936, the site employed 3,000 workers. After the Second World War, despite partial modernization, competition led to the closure in May 1966. The partial dismantling of the site ensues, followed by a long conversion of staff.
Opened in the 1980s, the Ecomusée presents on three levels photographs, archives, tools and objects of the daily lives of workers, former peasants who became industrialists. In 1990, it was enriched with audiovisual spaces, a library and temporary exhibitions. Since 2005, it has been run by the municipality of Inzinzac-Lochrist. His collections illustrate technical know-how (metallurgy, wood, chemistry), living and working conditions, and regional industrial history from 1860 to 1966.
The museum highlights various themes: industrial architecture, Breton work costumes, workers' housing, and steel trades. Symbolic productions, such as tinned plate for canneries or lithographed boxes, bear witness to the economic impact of Forges. The Ecomusée also maintains administrative archives, plans, and scientific material, offering a dive into the ethnology and technical history of industrial Brittany.
Ranked Museum of France, the site relies on a historic building: the former laboratory of chemical and physical testing. His address, 7 Mail François Giovannelli, and his telephone (02 97 36 98 21) make it an accessible place to discover this workers' heritage. The accuracy of its location is considered fair (note 5/10), perhaps reflecting the site's transformations after closure.
